In my healthier days, when I was happily working at the zoo, I wrote a weekly newsletter for the docents and volunteers. My service dog Henry was always eager to contribute bits of wisdom to my weekly tome, so when he heard I was writing a blog, he asked if he could add a few words. Of course, I said yes. So today…Read more Hope is the thing with feathers…
animals and healing
Cockeyed Optimist?
I'm considering hatching some Mexican Speckled Quail eggs in July, if they're available. There's a place in Wisconsin, (my home state!), that sells them. Maybe I'll have better luck with a different species. Maybe I'm just a cockeyed optimist! Aren't they beautiful?
Hope floats
I was really hoping my eggs would hatch because I need a good dose of joy. I know from previous incubations that hatchlings come into the world determined to survive. They never question their reasons for being here, they just want to live. I know people like that too, and I envy them. Nearly every day…Read more Hope floats
Take your positions!
This is day 13(hopefully lucky 13) of 16, in the incubation of my Button Quail eggs, which means it's time to remove the automatic rotator and carefully lay them on their side on the bottom of the incubator. For the final 3 days they need to stay perfectly still so the growing chicks will move themselves into hatching position. The images below show the…Read more Take your positions!
Service Vehicles?
Should I get one of these when my service dog Henry retires? Would it have to wear a special vest? Would it be permitted in all the same places?
If at first you don’t succeed…try another hen!
Sometimes my efforts to do something that may lift my spirits backfire. That’s what happened with my recent attempt to incubate quail eggs. At first I thought it was because the temperature in the incubator fell below 100 degrees in the last 3 days, but then I found out that a minor decrease would just delay…Read more If at first you don’t succeed…try another hen!
Funny, but offensive
The use of fake service animals and emotional support animals exacerbates the stigma of mental illness. Not long ago I read an article in the New Yorker by Patricia Marx called “Pets Allowed: Why are so many animals now in places where they shouldn’t be?” Ms. Marx is a funny writer, but as soon as I…Read more Funny, but offensive
Will my Button Quail eggs hatch?
I'm worried that the eggs won't hatch because I couldn't get the incubator to stay at 100 degrees. For the past few days it dropped down to 97, then 95. Anybody home in there? Maybe they aren't fertile. I'm going to keep them in the incubator for a few extra days because I've read that they can still hatch…Read more Will my Button Quail eggs hatch?
Phase 2 for the quail eggs
Today is day #14, so I’ve removed the eggs from the rotator... ...and placed them on the mesh floor of the incubator. For the next 3 - 4 days the little chicks inside will move themselves into their hatching position. The temperature will stay at 100 degrees and the humidity at 60%. It’s possible that the…Read more Phase 2 for the quail eggs
Cold-Blooded Comfort
In the May/June 2017 issue of Reptiles Magazine there’s a great article called “Reptiles as Therapy Pets,” by Alexia P. Bullard, who asks, “Who says a pet snake or lizard can’t provide emotional support?” As the mommy and caretaker of three Eastern Box Turtles and a Red-Eared Slider, I can definitely say that caring for…Read more Cold-Blooded Comfort
Dogged Hope 